Bi Pc 1414. Meeting a man on a street
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dutiyikauyyojana
A nun who, seeking privacy, stands alone with a man on street must confess the offense.
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Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law The Nuns’ Analysis
The chapter on offenses entailing confession The subchapter on the dark of the night 14. Meeting a man on a street
Origin story
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time the nun Thullanandā stood and talked alone with men on streets, in cul-de-sacs, and at intersections, and she whispered in their ears and dismissed her companion nun.
The nuns of few desires complained and criticized her, “How can Venerable Thullanandā do such things?” … “Is it true, monks, that the nun Thullanandā does this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked her … “How can the nun Thullanandā do such things? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:
Final ruling
‘If a nun stands or talks alone with a man on a street or in a cul-de-sac or at an intersection, or she whispers in his ear or dismisses her companion nun, she commits an offense entailing confession.’”
Definitions
A: whoever … Nun: … The nun who has been given the full ordination in unanimity by both Sanghas through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of nun is meant in this case.
A street: a carriage road is what is meant. A cul-de-sac: one departs the same way one enters. An intersection: a crossroads is what is meant.
A man: a human male, not a male spirit, not a male ghost, not a male animal. He understands and is capable of standing together and talking. With: together.
Alone: just the man and the nun. Stands with: if she stands within arm’s reach of the man, she commits an offense entailing confession. Talks with: if she stands talking within arm’s reach of the man, she commits an offense entailing confession.
Whispers in his ear: if she speaks into the ear of a man, she commits an offense entailing confession. Dismisses her companion nun: if, wanting to misbehave, she dismisses her companion nun, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the companion nun is in the process of going beyond the range of sight or the range of hearing, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
When the companion nun has gone beyond, she commits an offense entailing confession.
If she stands or talks outside of arm’s reach, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If she stands or talks with a male spirit, a male ghost, a paṇḍaka, or a male animal in human form, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if she has a companion who understands; if she is not seeking privacy; if she stands or talks thinking of something else; if she does not want to misbehave; if she dismisses her companion nun when there is something to be done; if she is insane; if she is the first offender.
The fourth training rule is finished.
The “…” is an abbreviation carried over from the Pāli original itself, called peyyāla. The early canon was memorized and recited, so passages repeated verbatim from a preceding discourse were commonly contracted to an elision mark rather than written out in full. Venerable Thích Minh Châu's translation preserves this convention. Some texts therefore look short — but that is the canonical form, not missing content or a truncated translation. The elided passages can be read in full in the preceding discourses of the same chapter.
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